The politics of Papua New Guinea takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic multi-party system,whereby the prime minister is the head of government. Papua New Guinea is an independent Commonwealth realm,with the monarch serving as head of state and a governor-general,nominated by the National Parliament,serving as their representative. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament.
The Pangu Pati,officially Papua na Niugini Yunion Pati,is a nationalist and developmentalist political party on the centre-left in Papua New Guinea. The party is the oldest political party in Papua New Guinea and has held all levels of government throughout its history. As of 2023,it is the largest party in the National Parliament.
Sir Michael Thomas Somare was a Papua New Guinean politician. Widely called the "father of the nation",he was the first Prime Minister after independence. At the time of his death,Somare was also the longest-serving prime minister,having been in office for 17 years over three separate terms:from 1975 to 1980;from 1982 to 1985;and from 2002 to 2011. His political career spanned from 1968 until his retirement in 2017. Besides serving as PM,he was minister of foreign affairs,leader of the opposition and governor of East Sepik Province.
The National Executive Council (NEC),also known as the Cabinet of Papua New Guinea functions as the policy and decision-making body of the executive branch within the government system of Papua New Guinea. The Prime Minister and Ministers serve as members of the Cabinet.
James Marape is a Papua New Guinean politician who has served as the prime minister of Papua New Guinea since May 2019. He has been a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea since July 2007,representing the electorate of Tari-Pori Open in Hela Province in the New Guinea Highlands. He has held Cabinet Posts as Minister of Education (2008–2011),Minister of Finance (2012–2019),and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2023–2024). Marape entered the 2022 elections under the banner of the Pangu Party and won the most seats,while still being far from a majority. He was therefore able to form government,which was elected unopposed by the new parliament.
Foreign relations exist between Australia and Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea is Australia's closest neighbour and a former colony of Australia. Both nations share the same continent in the Oceania region. Papua New Guinea has developed much closer relations with Australia than with Indonesia,the only country with which it shares a land border. The two countries are Commonwealth realms. In contemporary times,Papua New Guinea is one of the largest recipients of Australian aid. Some critics have pointed to instances where this has led to an outsized Australian influence on Papua New Guinea politics.
The monarchy of Papua New Guinea is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Papua New Guinea. The current Papua New Guinean monarch and head of state,since 8 September 2022,is King Charles III. As sovereign,he is the personal embodiment of the Papua New Guinean Crown. Although the person of the sovereign is equally shared with 14 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations,each country's monarchy is separate and legally distinct. As a result,the current monarch is officially titled King of Papua New Guinea and,in this capacity,he and other members of the royal family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of Papua New Guinea. However,the King is the only member of the royal family with any constitutional role.
Sir Puka Temu,,is a Papua New Guinean politician. He has been a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea since 2002,representing the electorate of Abau Open. A former Deputy Prime Minister under Michael Somare,he is part of Prime Minister James Marape's government as a member of the Our Development Party.
Peter Charles Paire O'Neill is a Papua New Guinean politician who served as the seventh Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from 2011 to 2019. He has been a Member of Parliament for Ialibu-Pangia since 2002. He was a former cabinet minister and the leader of the People's National Congress between 2006 and 2022. He resigned his position as prime minister to avoid a vote of no confidence,and he was succeeded by James Marape.
Belden Namah is a Papua New Guinean politician. Namah is a member of the National Parliament for the Papua New Guinea Party,and has represented Vanimo-Green River District since 2007. He served in the Cabinet from 2007 to 2010,and as Deputy Prime Minister from 2011 to 2012. In 2012,Namah became a member of the opposition. After retaining his seat in the 2022 election,he said that he would not rejoin the opposition.
Papua New Guinea's Ministry of Finance is the department responsible for the "protection of public money" in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The ministry aims to improve "the transparency and accountability of the accounting and financial reporting and their frameworks" in the country. The ministry is led by a Minister of Finance. The headquarters of the ministry are at Vulupindi Haus,Waigani.
Rimbink Pato OBE is a Papua New Guinean constitutional lawyer and politician. He was Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade from 2012 to 2019. Pato is the head of the United Party and its sole MP,representing Wapenamanda Open.
Patrick Pruaitch,CMG is a Papua New Guinea politician who represented the Aitape-Lumi constituency in the West Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea in the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea from 2002 to 2022. He was a Cabinet Minister with few interruptions from 2002–2010 and from 2012–2017. From November 2019–November 2020,he was Minister for Foreign Affairs. From 2017–2019 and 2020-2022 he was Leader of the Opposition. He was twice –in 2019 and 2020 –alternate PM in unsuccessful attempts to unseat the government.
Bryan Jared Kramer is a Papua New Guinea politician and Member of the 10th and 11th Parliament of Papua New Guinea. Formerly a member of the Pangu Party,he founded the Allegiance Party,of which he was the sole MP,in 2018. He ran nine candidates in the 2022 National Elections,including one in each of Madang's seven electorates. Kramer was returned with a sizeable majority,but was unsuccessful in securing the election of another Party member. He was suspended from office on 30 September 2022 pending the outcomes of a leadership tribunal. On Tuesday 28 February 2023 the three-man bench unanimously found Kramer guilty of seven counts against him. A three-man bench recommended dismissal for two counts of "scandalising the judiciary" and fines totalling K10,000 (USD3,000) for five counts related to use of district funds. Kramer was dismissed from office by the Governor General on 24 May 2023. He will not be able to re-contest an election for five years,allowing him to compete in the 2032 election. A by-election for Madang Open will be held in 2024.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Papua New Guinea is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to have reached Papua New Guinea on 20 March 2020. On 4 May 2020,Papua New Guinea was declared COVID-19 free. However,on 20 June,the government confirmed another case of COVID-19,meaning that the disease was present again within the country.
Events in the year 2021 in Papua New Guinea.
General elections were held in Papua New Guinea from 4 to 22 July 2022 to elect the members of the National Parliament for a new five-year term.
Job Pomat CMG is a Papua New Guinean politician. He has represented the electorate of Manus Open in the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea on two separate occasions since 2007 and has been Speaker of the National Parliament since 2017.
Events in the year 2022 in Papua New Guinea.
Events in the year 2023 in Papua New Guinea.
